Lo! I shall send mine angel, and he shall make ready the way before my face; and anon the Lord, whom ye seek, shall come to his holy temple, and the angel of the testament, whom ye will or desire. Lo! he cometh, saith the Lord of hosts;
I wash you in water, into penance; but he that shall come after me is stronger than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize [or christen] you in the Holy Ghost, and [in] fire.
For this is he, of whom it is said by Isaiah, the prophet, saying, A voice of a crier in desert, [or A voice of a man crying in desert], Make ye ready the ways of the Lord; make ye right the paths of him.
And the angel answered, and said to her, The Holy Ghost shall come from above into thee, and the virtue of the Highest shall overshadow thee; and therefore that holy thing that shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God.
Nevertheless love ye your enemies, and do ye well, and lend ye, hoping nothing thereof, and your meed shall be much, and ye shall be the sons of the Highest, for he is benign, [or of good will], on unkind men and evil men.